Queen Sewell Pond Action Meeting Is July 29
The Town of Bourne is looking for feedback on the Queen Sewell Pond Watershed Action Plan. To that end, the town has organized an action plan meeting for Monday, July 29, to solicit input from residents who live near and/or use the pond for recreation.
The meeting will be held via Zoom and will include a presentation from the Horsley Witten Group of Sandwich on the design for the green stormwater infrastructure that is proposed for the parking lot at Queen Sewell Beach.
The link for the Zoom meeting can be found at the conservation department’s webpage at www.townofbourne.com/conservation. All residents in the area and users of the area’s recreational amenities are encouraged to attend and share comments on the proposed work and their experiences at the pond.
Monday’s meeting is part of the town’s study of the Queen Sewell Pond watershed, for which it was awarded a grant to aid in identifying sources of pollution and the creation of an action plan to improve both water quality and habitat.
The grant, which was authorized by Governor Maura T. Healey last spring, amounted to a total of $183,500 for the town to address stormwater runoff in the area. It was part of a larger funding package, to the tune of over $808,000, disbursed to Bourne, Dartmouth and New Bedford to improve overall water quality in the Buzzards Bay watershed.
Per the town’s announcement of the upcoming public meeting, the goals of the Queen Sewell Watershed Action Plan are to assess the watershed and recommend short-term actions, to establish nature-based stormwater designs at the beach and to incorporate public outreach.
The town has previously held public meetings on the watershed and its action plan, including last August, when residents were invited to express concerns about the project and learn more about the initiative. More recently, the town last month sought to bolster public outreach through a free, hands-on rain garden workshop, which is said to be a key component of enhancing water quality through green infrastructure.
More information on both the Queen Sewell Pond Watershed Action Plan and the recent rain garden workshop can be found at the conservation webpage. Questions can be directed to Bourne conservation agent Stephanie Fitch at sfitch@townofbourne.com or by calling 508-759-0600, extension 1302.